Unknown Subject 1138
by leftyguitar
Summary: Greg-centric story, with lots of gore and lots of Nick. NOT SLASH! A modern day Jack the Ripper is loose at UNLV. Can Nick and Greg find him before he finds them? Not for younger readers.TITLE CHANGED from Seeking the Truth.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Not Mine**

**Spoilers: All aired episodes. **

**A/N: I know I have other things to finish, but this wouldn't go away until I wrote it.**

Greg was wearing his trademark smirk as he picked up his guitar and faced his audience. He shifted his fingers to form the first chord of Welcome to the Jungle. The band started playing, as and so did he.

He made it through the intro without missing a beat, losing himself in the music. Greg started sing along and dance to music, fingers moving almost without thought. He jumped right into the solo as the break room door opened and he gained an actual audience, instead of the virtual one he'd been playing for.

Nick Stokes shook his head and tried not to laugh as Greg continued to sing, dance, and otherwise make a complete fool of himself while playing Guitar Hero. For his part, Greg was focused on what he was doing and hadn't made a mistake yet.

As he finished playing the last few notes, Greg noticed that he wasn't alone. Instead of being mortified, like a normal person, Greg just shrugged, "Told you I could've been a rock star."

Nick couldn't help but laugh at his friend. Trying to be the more responsible one, he warned Greg. "I know that it's a slow night and all, but Grissom really doesn't like it when people play video games on county time."

Greg rolled his eyes, "Grissom is…" Catching his boss' reflection in the cabinet, he continued, "A really great boss."

Nick forced back a laugh as Grissom himself spoke. "Save it. We've got a scene." He sounded a little rattled. "Brass said the killer left us one hell of a mess."

Shifting gears quickly, Greg nodded. "Did Brass give details?"

Grissom nodded, "Crime scene is at UNLV, Professor was murdered in her office." He paused. "Jim said it looked like our killer could be Jack the Ripper."

Nick nodded. It must've been pretty bad to unnerve the twenty-plus year veteran.

"We'll be ready in five."

Grissom nodded and headed for the parking lot. Nick and Greg joined him after a quick stop to grab their kits.

The drive to the scene was short, and very silent. In the backseat, Greg was dying for Grissom to turn on the radio or at least say something. The quiet was driving him nuts.

When they arrived on the scene, it was clear that Jim wasn't kidding; the office she was found in was a bloody mess, and the body itself looked as if Doc Robbins had autopsied her while she still alive.

A very pale David Philips was waiting for them. "Hey, guys. Cause of death seems obvious. It also looks like your killer took at least one major organ, probably more." He paused and frowned at Grissom. "Bears a strange resemblance to Jack the Ripper's victims."

"Unless you can put the time of death at a few centuries ago, I doubt he's a suspect, Super Dave," Nick pointed out.

"TOD is about three hours ago." Dave said. "I'll be able to tell you more after autopsy,"

The CSIs thanked him and got to work. Grissom and Greg took the perimeter, working their way in toward the body. Grissom studied the blood spatter on the walls, trying to picture how this happened.

_The victim is sitting at her desk when she hears somebody knock on the door. She opens the door, thinking its student with a question, And it's likely that the attacker is a student, or at least somebody that the Professor doesn't consider a threat, because she lets him inside. They talk for a few moments and walk to the center of the room, where he pulls out a large knife. Caught by surprise, she doesn't put up much resistance until he plunges the knife into her chest…_

Greg's voice seemed to echo his thoughts. "Looks like she knew her attacker. No signs of forced entry, and judging by these shoeprints, the attacker wasn't very big." He indicated a set of small, bloody prints.

Grissom nodded. "It could have been a student. Make sure you swab everything."

"This much blood, killer probably cut himself." Greg agreed.

Meanwhile, Nick went join Brass. The captain was waiting with the student who found the body. The student was a young, average looking college kid, brown hair and eyes, just shy of six feet tall.

"This is George Hunter. He found Professor Lee's body and called it in."

George Hunter himself looked pretty shaken by what he had seen. "Yeah, I was going to talk to her about the midterm. I set up an appointment." He stopped, trying to gather his thoughts.

"What happened after that, George?" Nick asked, trying to encourage him. He studied the student, who seemed to be in shock. After viewing that crime scene, Nick didn't blame him.

George took a shaky breath and continued. "I knocked, more then once, but she didn't answer the door. I tried the door, and it was unlocked. She never leaves it unlocked. I went in because I thought something was wrong. I was kinda freaked out, but I remember calling nine-one-one"

Nick nodded. "Did you touch anything?"

"No. I left as soon as I saw her, or what was left of her…" George was still pretty freaked out, Nick noted.

"Okay, good. Listen, I'm going to need your shoes."

"To rule me out, right?" Stokes nodded. " 'cause that's what Jen taught. Forensics, I mean."

Nick nodded. "So I don't have to explain to you why we need your DNA and finger prints."

"No problem." Nick briefly wondered if George might a bit too cooperative. After getting prints and DNA, he went to join Greg and Grissom.

He quickly explained what he had learned from George and Brass, adding that the killer may know something about forensics.

Greg shook his head. "Great. Some psycho cutting up his victims, and there's a good chance he knows a lot about forensics."

**A/N: And there goes chapter 1. I know where I'm going with this, really. Anyhow, I need to start chapter 2. If you're nice enough to leave a review, I may post it in the morning, or at least as soon as I finish it. (hint)**

**Thanks for reading ! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: It wasn't mine an hour ago when I started and isn't now. **

**A/N: Jumping right into chapter two, hope finish before I go to bed. Got most of the story worked out, just need more details. Ya'll know the devil's in the details, right? ;)**

The three of them processed that scene for hours; they collected a ton of evidence; blood, shoeprints, and a hundred other things that may or not prove useful. And it all still needed to be processedback at the lab.

Greg, after spending all day in court, and all night at the crime scene, was having trouble keeping his eyes open for more then thirty seconds at a time. He needed a few hours' sleep, or at least a good cup of coffee if he was going to help process anything. "Hey, Grissom," he asked, "Do you mind if we grab a cup coffee?"

"We have coffee back at the lab."

Sanders rolled his eyes. He was fairly certain that the stuff the county provided was mud, and Hodges finished his bag of Blue Hawaiian yesterday. "I meant good coffee."

Nick laughed. "Aww, come on, boss. That sounds like a good idea."

Grissom relented. "Fine. You got anyplace special in mind?"

Greg smiled and directed him to a small place not too far from the campus.

They pulled into the dusty parking lot as the sun was rising. Gil put the Denali right in front of the big bay windows toward the front of the shop. The three of them exited quickly and walked into the shop, Brass right behind them.

The place seemed pretty quiet, aside from the odd student studying and hanging out with friends. The atmosphere reminded Greg of a Starbucks, only a lot cozier.

A tall, slender kid was standing behind the counter. The nametag pinned to his shirt introduced him as Jason.

He peered at them through thick, horn-rimmed glasses. "So what can I get for LVPD's finest?" Jason smiled, suddenly recognizing one of them. "I suppose that you'll what your usual, Mr. Sanders."

"Yeah." Greg shrugged. "And make it Greg." He was a regular here, and knew that Jason was a student at the college, and was studying to become a CSI as well.

"Right." The kid nodded. "Hey, guys. This is the third cop car to come through in the last few hours. Is there something going up at the campus? There's been crazy rumors going through here all night."

Greg sighed, "One of the professors was murdered."

Jason's dark blue eyes widen. "What?" He looked as if it he hadn't heard correctly.

Grissom spoke up. "Professor Jennifer Lee was killed in her office last night."

"No way. I was in her class this afternoon." Shock and disbelief were etched into his features as tried to digest Grissom's statement.

Greg said, "So you knew her?" Jason nodded.

"Is there anyone you can think of he might have had a grudge against her?" Brass asked, trying figure out if he was looking at just a witness or a suspect.

Jason shook his head. "No way, she was a great teacher." He paused. "Why? Do you think it was a student? "

Nick interjected. "We aren't thinking anything yet. All we're looking for information to find out what happened to her."

Jason gave very grim smile. "Only information? My friends, information is the most valuable thing of all, and I'm afraid that I have none to give you. I've been here all night." He placed a few cups of coffee on the counter. The young clerk dismissed the money Sanders offered. "Free for Las Vegas's finest."

It was clear they weren't getting anything from him but coffee. They thanked him and headed back to the lab. Grissom decided to go see Doc Robbins while Stokes and Sanders went to see if anything that they collected would lead them to a suspect.

Doc Robbins was just finishing up as Gil arrived at the morgue. He looked up at the supervisor. "It almost looks like the killer did my job for me." He said, almost sadly. "This was definitely personal."

Grissom nodded. "Yeah. This more then just excessive." He sighed. Grissom had worked for the crime lab a long time, and so there was very little that could shock him anymore. Gil wondered if that was good thing when the Doc's voice snapped his attention back to the task at hand.

"I said that these cuts were made while she was still alive. COD is massive blood loss due to injury." He looked over at Grissom. "You okay?"

"Fine." Grissom snapped, sounding harsher then he'd meant to. "Anything else?"

"Signs of consensual sex. Sent a kit to DNA."

"Thanks,. Doc." He went to go see if Nick and Greg had turned up anything.

They were waiting for him in the layout room. "You guys get anything with the shoeprints?"

Greg spoke first. "We can rule out George's shoes. They don't match the prints at the scene, and the size and wear pattern are different."

"Killer wore a size nine Converse Chuck Taylor." Nick said. "There's not much else to do but wait for DNA and hope that the killer cut himself.

Grissom nodded and filled them in on what Doc Robbins had found, adding that they may have another suspect once DNA results came back.

Greg, meanwhile wasn't paying attention as he stared at the photograph in front of him. It was of the victim, He had been staring at it almost ten minutes after Grissom left the room.

He nearly jumped out of skin when Nick tapped him on the shoulder. "You okay, Greggo?" His friend seemed a preoccupied.

Greg shook his head. "We've got catch this nut."

**A/N: I'm sorry this took so long finish, but I've a little busy. I'm hoping to have another chapter up tonight to make up for it. I have the story completely outlined, it's just the actual typing I need to finish. Unfortunately, I can't sit at desk for too long because I injured my knee over the weekend. **

**Thank you for the reviews, please keep them coming. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Still not mine**

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys. Like I mentioned, I can't sit at my desk for too long thanks to a knee injury, but I'll get this done as fast as I can. The story is outlined completely, so I should be able to write at least two or chapters a week, and I'm also putting in a lot of effort to spend a little time getting to know our killer. **

**It'll get kind of angsty at points, but not too much, I hope. (I'm not one to let our CSIs mope around for too long. The whole story will also be a little longer then most of mine, but I'd like to think it's on of the best. :P Anyhow, on with the story.**

Greg sipped the lukewarm break room, fighting the urge to gag. The stuff tasted like motor oil. He wondered why the county spent thousands on high tech crime fighting gear, yet still couldn't afford to give them decent coffee. It had to be at least as important for them to do their jobs.

His pager went as Greg was considering this. He checked it to find out that Wendy had finally finished the DNA results. Greg dumped what was left of the lousy coffee down the sink and hurried to join Grissom, Nick and Wendy in the DNA lab.

The three of them were gathered around the printer. Greg joined them just as Wendy grabbed the sheets of paper it spat out. She read them over and handed the report to Grissom.

"I'm got good news and news." She said.

Grissom frowned. "Bad news first."

"Bad news is that your suspect is not in the system." Wendy told them.

"But you did find another DNA contribution." Greg said. At least it was something.

"Also, DNA from the kit Doc Robbins sent over came back. It isn't a match to the suspect, but I did get a hit in CODIS." Wendy told them. "It came back to Dr. James Barkley, Dean of the college."

"He still may have something to do with it." Nick theorized.

Grissom nodded. "I'll have Brass check it out."

While Grissom and Brass went to track down the Dean Greg and Nick started going through Professor Lee's computer and other things from her office, hoping to uncover a motive.

They didn't find obvious in her papers: some essays that needed to be graded, a copy of the syllables, a grade book, and notes for class.

Nick's cell phone went off a few minutes. It turned out to be the under sheriff, wanting to know what they had so far. McKean had been yelling something about needing something for the media when Stokes left the room.

Greg rolled his eyes and got his iPod from his pocket. He had no interest in either the under sheriff or the media. All he wanted to do was catch this creep. He suddenly found himself thankful for his relatively low position in the chain of command. It meant he was rarely had to put up with McKean's interruptions. Greg cranked up the volume on his iPod and got to work.

Not finding anything incriminating in the paper files, Greg moved on to her laptop. He discovered a class roster, and set it aside for Brass to speak with the rest of the students.

Then a folder marked 'financial records' caught his eye. Sanders double clicked on it only to find it password protected. He sighed, wondering why. There had to be reason for it, and the best way figure that out would be to open it.

He studied it for a moment, trying think to of a something that made sense. He mentally reviewed what he knew about Jennifer Lee. She taught forensics, and from what he had heard from Jason, most of the students.

Greg pictured the office in his mind, trying to find anything that might tell him a little more about her personal life. The room had the typical drop ceiling and tile floors of most intuitions, the walls painted a nondescript beige with her awards and degrees hanging on them. He didn't see many photos, so she probably didn't of a family life.

There had been a fairly large desk and file cabinets toward the back, a large window the left, and huge bookcase lined the opposite wall. He pictured the bookshelf again, searching for details. There had been many forensic journals and textbooks. Greg continued to look at that shelf in head.

He focused on another shelf that held mysteries of a different sort. He remembered seeing the complete works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, among others.

Greg was more into Edgar Allen Poe and Stephen King, but to each their own. Smiling, he typed in Sherlock. The folder opened, revealing what looked like records for the entire college.

Taking a closer look, he realized almost a million dollars was going to something called Barley. Greg quickly yanked out his ear buds and saved a copy, and was going to page Nick, but just then, his friend returned, hanging up his phone and looking extremely irritated.

"Why can't he just let us do our jobs?" Nick muttered.

Greg almost laughed. "But then he can't do his job."

"Which is?"

"Looking good on TV and being a pain in the ass." Greg smiled.

Stokes glanced over at him. "I know that look. You found something."

"Am I that obvious?" Greg showed him the file.

Stokes just laughed, feeling better. "Well, now we've got motive. Barkley is looking better every minute."

"But it wasn't his DNA at the scene." Greg pointed out.

"Yeah, but with that kind of money, he could've hired someone."

Greg shook his head. "This looks a little personal for a professional hit, and too messy. Maybe someone else found out."

Nick frowned. "It's the only lead we got. Either way, we need to talk to him."

Sanders frowned as he watched Stokes leave, fairly sure Barkley was relatively innocent. Something in his gut told that Barkley wasn't who they were looking for. And even if he was, they didn't have anything to hold him on.

**A/N: thanks for pointing out my spelling error, GregsLabRat. Hope you guys like the knew chapter. You keep reviewing, and I'll keep writing:D Enjoy, while get to work on the next chapter. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Do I really need to say it?**

**A/N: Hey, ya'll just thought of a terrific idea to add and give story a little more emotional depth between my two fave characters. Let me remind you guys this is more of a friendship piece, not slash. (Trying to hang on to that T rating, among other things.) There's also possibility that characters from criminal minds may show up in the future, but I'll figure that out when I get there, as it may take the focus away from Nick and Greg. **

Greg glared at the one-way glass from the observation room, sure that Nick was making a mistake. Not that his opinion mattered much, but they couldn't put Dean Barkley at the crime scene and Wendy found somebody else's DNA in al that blood.

His gut told him this wasn't the guy, but they didn't work on gut instincts. They didn't have enough to make an arrest either way.

In the observation room, Nick and Brass were studying the guy like he was some particularly interesting specimen. For his part, Barkley seemed genuinely disturbed as heard of Jen's death. In Greg's admittedly limited experience, he wasn't faking.

He looked up form the table. "What happened to her?"

Nick looked over at him. "I was hoping you could tell us."

"You think I had something to do with this?" Barkley said, between sniffles. "I loved her."

Brass shrugged. "Funny how love can turn into hate."

"But I didn't do it." While Greg heard desperation in his voice, all Nick seemed to hear was denial. "I couldn't do that to her."

Nick shrugged. "Is that why you had somebody else kill her?"

"Why would I do that?"

Bras rolled his eyes "You know, I think I've had enough this crap. If you give your partner up, we might be able to make a deal."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Nick's frustration was building. "The partner who killed her after she tried blackmailing you."

Barkley looked completely dumbfounded. "You think she was blackmailing me?"

"You were stealing money from the college and Jennifer knew about it. You hired somebody to shut her up."

Barkley laughed grimly. "You think as trying to stop me? Jenny was in on it. We were supposed to take the money and run to Mexico."

Nick and Brass looked at each other. They didn't seem buy it, but it was clear that the Dean wasn't going to tell them anything. They stepped out of the room, where Greg and Grissom were waiting.

Nick looked aggravated. "I don't believe this guy."

Greg shrugged. "I do." Nick glared at him as he continued. "We can't place him at the scene, and this looks way too personal and too messy to be a hit. Whoever did this was very angry with her, and may have known something about human anatomy and forensics I still think we're looking for a student. "

Nick frowned. "Dean Barkley the only one that seems to have motive. I like him for this."

"Either way, we're not getting much else out of him." Brass chimed in. "It may not hurt to question her students."

Grissom nodded. "That's not a bad idea. Greg, do you think that anyone else would have access to that information?"

Greg shrugged. "It was password protected, but someone who knew her could've guessed it pretty easily."

Grissom nodded. "We should find out who else could have used that computer." He paused. "If we can't get anything else out of Barkley, we need check all possibilities." His eyes were on Nick as he said it.

Nick nodded as Grissom walked away. He glanced over at Greg. "So, you believe him."

"Yeah." Greg said, sounding a little defensive.

Stokes rolled his eyes. "Well, I still think he something to with it." Either way, Barley wasn't talking, so they still had work to do.

Almost as soon as they started digging through more records, Nick's phone was ringing again.

Greg rolled his. "Just turn it off."

Nick checked the number. "Can't. It's McKean."

"So what? We've got work to do."

Nick answered. "Stokes."

Greg, meanwhile, started making faces to be as distracting as possible.

"Cut that out." Nick growled at him. "Oh no, not you Sir."

Greg snickered at him as Nick decided to continue his conversation elsewhere.

After he left Greg continued to go through class records. He found a few students whose grades seemed to have dropped dramatically, and made a note of those names as possible suspects. Greg also discovered that Jason was the TA in that class. He quickly called Brass and told him it would be a good idea talk to him again.

There really wasn't much else he could do until Brass returned with Jason and the other students, so he went to the break room for another cup of lousy county provided coffee.

He found Hodges in the break room, sipping coffee and staring at some sort of game board.

"Hey, Sanders." He looked very board and was hoping to coax some unsuspecting coworker into a game.

"What do you want?" Greg growled.

"Chill out. Just saying hi." Hodges said. "Just because you had a fight with Stokes doesn't mean you have take it out on me.

"Is that what people are saying?"

"Well…"

Greg shook his head. "Unbelievable. We just had a disagreement about the case. It was nothing personal." He took a big sip of coffee immediately regretted it. That reminded him of another problem. "And, by the way, if you keep drinking my Hawaiian blue, you're going to have to start kicking in for it."

"But everyone else drinks it, so I just assumed…"

Greg actually smiled. "Everyone else helps pay for it. And you should know what assuming makes you and me." Greg smirked at him and walked away.

**A/N: Wow! Lots of reviews. :D you guys are great, thanks. Just keep them coming. I hope you guys like this story so far. Here's chapter 4, and there should be more to come later this week. This is a short chapter, but it's more of a transitional chapter, and is more focused on the characters, and I thought a little conflict between Nick and Greg would be fun, especially with what will come toward the end of the story. Hodges and Greg are fun to write as well. Hope you like it. **

**Thanks for reading. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Not mine. **

**A/N: Sorry it took me so to get back to this, been kinda busy lately. The pace this story should pick up pretty soon, so I should start updating more. **

Greg headed out the reception area, eager to meet with Jason. Despite claiming to know nothing, Sanders hoped that the kid would at least point him in the right direction.

Jason was sitting apart from the other students, reading a book, called Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk. Greg watched as he took off his glasses and wiped them on his T-shirt

"Hi, Jason."

Jason looked up, startled, "Hi." He laughed. "Sorry. I tend to lose myself in books."

Greg shrugged. "That's all right. I've done the same myself. Thanks for coming down here,"

"Not a problem, but I'm really not sure if I can help you. I really can't think of anyone that would want to hurt Professor Lee."

Greg winked at him. "Maybe you know more hen you think. I've got a few questions about her background and habits that you might be able to answer."

"Such as?" Jason's tone shifted from confused to slightly defensive.

"Do you know of anybody that would have access to her laptop or office?"

Jason frowned. "The only other person that had a key to her office was Dean Barkley, and she never lets that laptop out her sight. I've used it a few times, but… " He paused. "Why?"

"We found evidence on it that suggests she and the Dean were embezzling money from the school."

"Jen couldn't be involved in something like that!" Jason said. "She would never steal from anybody."

Greg frowned. It seemed like Jen may have been closer to her student then he thought. "The schools records show almost half a million dollars missing, and the Dean admitted it."

"Then you should be talking to him." Jason was getting angry know. "I can't help you. I had nothing to do her death. " He stood and stomped off.

"One more question." Greg pleaded.

"Fine. What do you want?" There was something off about his tone, but Greg couldn't figure out what.

"Do you of a student that had a grudge against her? Maybe over a bad grade or something?"

"No. Everybody liked her." Greg thought he detected a hint of bitterness in his voice, but didn't know want to make of it. "Now, I'm leaving. Good-bye." He walked off and left Greg sitting alone.

"Take it that didn't go as planned." A familiar southern drawl told him.

Greg looked up at Nick. "I don't know. I don't thing he knows anything about this."

"Your friend seemed a bit defensive."

"Could mean anything." Greg said. "Besides, he was working at the time of the murder."

Nick nodded. "Brass and I just got done talking to about a dozen students."

"Anything useful?"

Nick rolled his eyes. "Just that they all liked her and she valued her privacy."

"So where does that leave us?"

Brass walked in, startling both of them. "With our best suspect walking out the door with his lawyer."

Greg looked over at him. "So what do we have left?"

Brass shrugged. "Unless you guys can give me another name, there isn't much else I can do." He headed back to office without further comment.

Nick and Greg looked at each other. Stokes looked over at him. "What else do we have to work with?"

Greg thought a moment. "We still have the shoeprint."

"Jim and I interviewed at least a dozen students. I did check their sneakers, but while the Chuck Taylors are popular among the college crowd, I didn't find any the right size for our suspect." Nick paused. "What about your friend from the coffee shop?"

"Right size, wrong shoes. He was wearing boots, and has an alibi." Greg frowned. "He was working. I doubt he had anything to do with the murder." He sighed. "So, we've got nothing."

Nick frowned. "McKean's not gonna like this."

"Neither will this guy's next victim." Greg could care less about what under sheriff would like, but he knew that if the killer wasn't caught soon, he would claim more victims.

Nick nodded. The two of them walked over to Grissom's office to let him know what they found.

He was sitting at his desk, playing with a large, hairy spider. He quickly put it away as Nick and Greg told him what happened.

After hearing the situation, Gil told them both to go home and get some sleep, hoping some fresh eyes would help them break the case. Meanwhile, he decided to break the bad news to the under sheriff.

Jeff McKean liked the news about as much as Nick thought he would. There wasn't much he could do about it at the moment, so he contented himself with shouting at Grissom through the phone and promising to tear the CSIs a new one when they returned.

Greg went home, walked his dog, ordered take-out and fell asleep to an X-files marathon on TV.

Nick's evening was about the same as Greg's, except he was watching the end of a playoff game between the Colts and the Patriots. The Colts were ahead by two points when he fell asleep, but in the end Tom Brady and his team won the game.

They were both rudely awakened far earlier then planned. Their killer had struck again.

**A/N: I know, I'm mean to end it there, but I also need to sleep sometime tonight, Hope you like this chapter, the story will speed up soon, I promise, and include Nick and Greg in lots of trouble.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Not mine. **

**A/N: Here's chapter six, story should be taking bigger steps forward now. Hope you like it.  
**

The ring echoed through Greg's apartment, waking him after a few hours' sleep.

"Hello." Greg said, sounding groggy and a little annoyed.

"It's Grissom." Pause. Your homicide became a serial."

"Great. How come you never call just to talk?"

"What?"

Greg sighed. Of course Grissom wouldn't get the joke. "Never mind. "Where's the scene?"

"UNLV. The victim is Dean Barkley. He was found in his office less then an hour ago."

"Guess that rules him out as a suspect, then."

"Yeah. Listen, the press and the under sheriff are all over this. He said something about bringing in FBI."

"That was quick. I'll be there in a few. Just need to shower first."

"All right. Nick's all ready on his way. And if any reporters ask…"

"All I can say is 'no comment'. I don't talking to them anyway." After what happened to him last year, Greg was no fan of the media.

"Thanks." Grissom hung up the phone.

Greg did likewise, and glanced down to see his dog staring at him. "Don't look at me like that. Gotta pay for that gourmet dog food somehow."

The golden retriever just wagged his tail at the mention of food. Greg rolled his eyes and got ready to go to work. He showered and dressed quickly, and hurried down to his old Jetta.

His kit was packed and ready, and he was at the crime scene a few minutes later. Greg parked next to Nick's truck and found Officer Mitchell waiting for him. There were also at least half a dozen news vans around.

"Hey, Sanders," he greeted him. "One of the Professors found the body. Said that the vic wasn't answering his phone, and he got worried." Mitchell paused. "Stokes is all ready inside. Third door on the right."

Greg nodded his thanks. "Anyone else around?"

"Not really. Grissom's trying to convince McKeen we don't need the Feds, McKeen's on the phone with them, and I'm trying to keep reporters out of here. Chased off three of the vultures all ready."

"Good luck. You're gonna need it." Sanders warned him.

"Same to you." Mitchell grinned back at him.

The CSI just shrugged and walked on down the hall. He opened the door and found a blood pool at his feet. Dean Barkley was lying just inside the doorway. The scene was similar to what they had found the first time. The Dean looked as if he'd been other autopsy table while he was still alive and bleeding.

The office looked tidy, well organized and professional. Greg made a note of the lack of personal items. The desk was sitting against the far wall, with file cabinets set on the left wall. The right was covered with degrees, commendations, and a few certificates. The desk was clear except for an old PC, and box of various office supplies. It looked like he had been caught just as he was cleaning out his desk.

Nick was on the other side of the body, photographing some shoeprints. Greg recognized the pattern immediately. He finally looked up and noticed Greg.

Stokes glanced up from the prints he had been photographing. "Looks like we've got ourselves a serial."

Greg nodded. "And this is awfully soon after the first body. Either something set him off, or this guy's working on very fast pace."

Nick nodded. "I don't think there's much doubt, but make sure you swab every blood sample to confirm it's the same guy." Nick's phone went off as he finished. Greg just nodded and started processing the scene, but there really wasn't a lot to go on.

As Nick left the room to answer his phone, David Philips arrived. He looked over the body. "I heard that you guys have a serial."

"MO matches, but you'll be able to tell us for sure."

David nodded. "COD looks obvious." He reached into his kit for a thermometer. "Looks like he's been dead for about six hours."

Greg nodded as Nick reentered the room. "That was Grissom on the phone. The FBI is sending over one of their best profilers, a Dr. Spencer Reid. His plane should be landing in a few hours, so he'll meet us back at the lab."

They continued to process the scene in silence. They didn't find anything else that seemed out of place. Greg did find that most of the desk drawers and file cabinets were locked, but that could mean anything.

He just hoped that the guy the FBI was sending could help them catch this guy. This serial killer seemed to be working on a frightening pace.

He tried to think of any cases with a similar MO, but nothing came to mind. He had a funny feeling that someone was going to be him. Greg packed up the last of his evidence and headed out to car.

The drive back to the lab was short and quiet. He turned on the radio mostly to break the silence.

He headed inside to find a stranger fighting with the soda machine. Greg rolled his eyes and walked over.

The stranger looked at him. The guy was taller then Greg, and kind of skinny. He was wearing a button down white shirt, a sweater vest, black slacks and thick glasses. He was also wearing a gun, Greg noted.

"What's wrong with thing?" he muttered, mostly to himself.

Greg laughed. "The entire city of Vegas is finding ways to separate a fool and his money." He joked. "There's a secret to it." Sanders demonstrated.

"Thanks." The guy smiled at him. "I don't suppose you could tell me where I could find a Dr. Gil Grissom."

"I'll take you to his office. I'm Greg Sanders, by the way."

"I'm Spencer Reid."

**A/N: sorry to stop you there, but I want to go sleep sometime tonight. I'm sorry this is so late, but I've got a lot to do, including another big writing project that's still very early stages. I promise I'll have the chapter up soon if you are kind enough to leave a review. Hope you like the story so far. Thank you for your patience. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: not mine. **

**A/N: Thank you all for the kind reviews. Here's hoping you'll like the next part. ******

Greg led Spencer down the hallway toward Grissom's office. "You really think you can help us catch this creep?"

"I certainly hope so. From what your under sheriff told us, the unsub is escalating."

Greg nodded. "Only a day between the murders."

Spencer asked. "Have there been other victims with a similar MO?"

"Nothing comes to mind on our shift, but I'll check the files."

"Good. From what I've hear, the scenes would be hard to forget."

The pair reached Grissom's office, but the boss wasn't in it. Spencer looked around the cluttered space. "Interesting."

"What?" Greg asked.

"Interesting office."

"Just remember that you're here to profile the killer, not us."

As they turned to leave, Greg's phone went off, playing his Pink Floyd ringtone. "Sanders." He answered. After speaking with his boss for a few minutes, Greg hung up the phone.

"They're waiting for us in the layout room." Greg told Spencer. They left the office and Greg lead the profiler to the layout room. The table was covered in photographs from the crime scene. Grissom, McKeen, Brass and Nick were waiting for them.

"Nice of you to join us, Sanders." McKeen said. Greg ignored him.

After introductions were made, Grissom placed the gruesome crime scene photos. The victims were sprawled, on the floors, in dark pool of blood. They each bore a frightened expression and the unmistakable Y-incision.

The next photos showed blood sprayed onto office walls. The sheer volume of blood said that COD was obvious in both cases.

The last pair Grissom placed on the table showed smeared sneaker prints running for the door. The killer was in hurry to get out, it seemed. The sneakers' worn soles would be able to tell them when they found their man, but wouldn't do much good by themselves.

Spencer stared at each of them, confirming the details he heard over the phone. Finally, Grissom spoke.

"Both victims were found in their offices, autopsied alive. They both bleed out, and the MO is the same. We found DNA and shoeprints at both crime scenes, unfortunately the killer is not in the system."

Spencer looked over the photos again. "It looks like these attacks are personal. These people knew the unsub. The way he kills suggests rage toward the victims."

Greg nodded. "They were also killed within days of each other."

The profiler frowned. "Either something set off you killer or he's working at an accelerated pace." Spencer shifted his gaze to Grissom. "You killer is most likely a student with a lot anger issues, and some knowledge of human anatomy."

Nick strolled in as Spencer was speaking, Doc Robbins report in hand. "Doc Robbins agrees. It seems that our second victim is missing a few organs, including the heart." He nodded toward Spencer. "I'm Nick Stokes, by the way."

"Dr. Spencer Reid of FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit."

Nick shrugged, "thanks for coming down. Looks like we need all the help that we can get."

While Spencer was trying to formulate a response, Grissom's cell phone chimed. All the color drained from his face as he listened to the officer on the other end. Finally, he said, "My guys will be right there."

He hung up and looked out at the team. "We have another body."

McKeen swore to himself just as his own phone buzzed. He walked into the hall to answer it.

Grissom looked over at Nick and Greg. "You guys need to head out to the scene. It's one of the dorm rooms. The latest victim is a student."

McKeen reappeared. "And we're going to be explaining to the press why your team hasn't caught this guy yet."

Gil glared at him. "I really think that I would be able to help more at the crime scene."

"I don't think so."

Grissom sighed, "Okay." To Nick and Greg he said, " I guess you two are taking this alone."

Spencer nodded. "I'll check the cold case files to see if he has any more victims."

With that, the group broke up and headed out in different directions.

Nick and Greg hurried to the parking lot and claimed one of the department Denalis. Greg climbed into the passenger seat as Nick walked around to drivers seat and started the truck.

Nick pulled out into the street. "It looks like the FBI dude agrees with you."

Greg just shrugged. "Doesn't really matter. We just need to catch this guy."

"Right. Catching him is the important part." Nick smiled at Greg. "Let's just hope this is the last body that we find."

Spencer dug into the stack in front him, skimming the pages from the open file at setting it aside, not finding what he looking for. He wasn't expecting to find much, but you missed things if you weren't through. The CSIs seemed to know their jobs, and there wasn't a pressing need to follow them to the scene.

Grissom frowned at McKeen. "Why do I have to be here?"

"Because your team hasn't found the killer yet and the press needs to know why it's taking so many bodies for you to find him."

"My team did nothing wrong." Grissom said.

"They've certainly done nothing."

"They've done their best. If my guys start moving too fast, they'll miss things."

"Meanwhile the killer claims two more victims, and a huge campus is in chaos." McKeen snapped. "The press needs answers."

"I don't have any to give them."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm hoping to get the last few chapters out tonight and tomorrow. There should only be one more after this, but could be two. Thanks for reviewing. This story should be finished by Monday, (US eastern time). **

Nick parked the Denali and popped the trunk. He and Greg hurried to grab their kits and process the latest crime scene. Neither noticed the news van pulling in behind them.

Sofia should by the entrance, holding a small notebook. "Hey guys." She greeted them. "This one's the same as the others. Vic appears to have been killed in her dorm room. Her roommate came back from a date early and found her."

Nick nodded. "Anything else we should know?"

"This one was found a lot faster then the first two. Blood pools haven't even started to congeal yet. I'm gonna go see if neighbors heard anything."

Greg frowned. "If there are any still around. Classes were suspended after Dean Barkley was killed."

"Yeah. The vic also lived at he end of the hall, right by the stairs."

"Murder central." Stokes agreed. Sofia nodded and went next.

Greg raised an eyebrow. "Murder central?"

Nick laughed. "It's the room closest to the exit, with neighbors only on one side."

"Okay." All joking stopped the second Nick opened the door.

A young college student was sprawled on the floor in a pool of fresh blood. Her glassy blue eyes stared at the ceiling. She had the same Y-incision as all the others.

There was hardly any space to stand in the room. The walls were a dark blue, and covered with blood spatter. A bed was against one of them, with a small desk and computer at the end of it.

The other bed was on the opposite side. Both were unmade, and there was laundry, books, and other odds and ends scattered throughout the room.

The two CSI's began processing in silence. Greg started photos, while Nick focused on the body. After he finished photographing it, he noticed a closet behind him, with the door slightly ajar. Curious, Nick pulled it opened and the killer flew out at him.

Stokes didn't even have time to scream as the killer was on him. There was a sharp pain as a jagged knife was plunge into his shoulder. Where the hell had Greg disappear to? He finally managed to call for help as the blade cut deeper.

The killer weighed about a thousand pounds as he tried to throw him off. His left arm screamed in protest as Nick pushed against him.

Then, the huge weight was lifted as Greg finally managed to pull the guy off. He barely felt the blade slash into his arm as he tried grab for the weapon. He got a grip on the killer's wrist and twisted as hard as he could.

There was sickening crack as his attacker screamed and dropped his weapon. Greg let go and sprang at him again as the door slammed open and Sofia ran in, gun drawn.

Greg only saw a pair of crimson sneakers as the killer made a run for the door.

Time seemed to slow as Nick heard a door open, and a women yelling about an officer down. He could feel the hot blood trickling down his chest. He was vaguely aware of a heavy pressure on the wound.

The last thing that Nick remembered hearing a voice telling him to hang, that help was coming soon.

After what felt like hours, an ambulance arrived and paramedics came out to help. Greg had managed to slow down the bleeding, but it seemed like Nick had lost gallons of blood.

Greg didn't remember much of happened next, just that he and Nick were in the back of the ambulance now. The paramedics were shouting at each other and trying to control the bleeding from Nick's wound.

He felt strangely numb when one of them noticed that he was bleeding and checked the injury. Greg could still see the red sneakers scrambling for the door. He tried to picture the guys face and came up blank.

He should be better witness then this. His best friend was losing blood fast on the stretcher beside him, and there nothing he could do to help catch the bastard that had hurt him.

They arrived at the hospital, and Nick was sent away. Greg sat in waiting room when a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Sir, I said that looks like it needs stitches." Greg glanced up to see a nurse staring at him. "I know you're worried about your friend, but there's nothing you can do right now."

Her voice seemed almost soothing, Greg noticed, "Why don't you come with me?"

She led him down the hall into a small exam room. Greg allowed her to take a close look at the gash on his arms. He had barely felt it when Nick was bleeding from a deep wound and losing blood at a terrifying rate.

Now that there was nothing more he could do, it hurt like a bitch. The young nurse frowned as she looked at the injury. At least it had quit bleeding, but it wasn't going to heal on it's own.

After injecting him with a local anesthetic, she sewed up the gash and bandaged it.

Greg thanked her and headed back out to see if there was any word on Nick. He found Grissom waiting for him, along with Catherine, Spencer, and Sofia.

Grissom looked up at Greg. "Sofia said you attacked at the scene."

"Yeah, the guy was hiding in the closet. He jumped on Nick when he opened the door." Greg told him. "I pulled the guy off, but he stabbed Nick." Greg paused and looked at the floor. "Never got a good look at him."

Spencer frowned, "You said you pulled him off of Nick. Was he heavy, or…"

Greg looked at him. "Actually, he was kinda skinny. I pinned him down grabbed his wrist. He dropped the knife and ran when Sofia opened the door."

Grissom looked over at Sofia. "I'll check the hospitals." She disappeared.

The supervisor shifted his gaze back to Greg. "Have you heard anything on Nick's condition?"

"Not word since we got here."

Grissom sighed. "I need to go help Warrick process the scene. Catherine's going to process you and collect your clothes. Call me if you remember else or hear anything about Nick's condition."

Greg looked down at his clothes and seemed shocked to find them covered in blood. "I will."

Gil nodded and left. Catherine's eyes widen as she took in the amount of blood on his clothes.

Greg quickly explained. "Most of its Nick's. I'm more or less okay."

Cath handed him some fresh clothes. "Got these from your locker."

Greg gave sad smile. "Thanks." He went into another room to change.

Cath had brought him an old pair of jeans and one of his band T-shirts. He smiled at his reflection, thankful to be wearing his own clothes.

Greg gave Cath the bloody cloths. She quickly bagged them. "You did a good job, you know. Helping Nick."

"Not good enough." He should've been paying more attention, and noticed the door earlier.

Catherine looked over at him. "There wasn't anything you could've done." It sounded lame and they both knew it.

"Right." Greg rolled his eyes and showed her his arm. She didn't say anything as she photographed it, but there was a determined look in her eyes as she documented the injury and continued to process him.

Greg was glad when she finished and told him she and the rest of the team would do everything possible to "catch this bastard." He almost smiled at that. You didn't hurt one of the CSIs and get away it.

After she left, Greg was in alone in the waiting room with Spencer. The young profiler wasn't really sure what to say, he wasn't good at these situations. So he offered to grab a cup of coffee instead, leaving Greg alone with his thoughts.

A doctor entered the room and asked if he was here for Nick Stokes. Greg told that he was, and the doctor nodded. He told Greg that Nick had lost a lot of blood, but should be able to recover. Nick was still out cold and would be for a while.

Spencer returned with their coffee as Greg finished relaying the information to Grissom. He nodded his thanks and accepted the steaming cup.

Greg inhaled the scent and took a quick sip. There was something about that smell that made him uneasy. He closed his and tried to figure out why.

He was at crime scene, talking and joking with Nick when the closet door flew open. Greg tried to help but his feet wouldn't move. Then killer pounced on him. Greg smelled coffee and felt sick to his stomach.

His eyes shot open as he realized the mistake he made, cursing himself for being that blind.

Spencer looked over at him. "Are you okay?"

Greg left out a breath he didn't know that he'd been holding, "I'm so stupid. I should've figured this out faster."

"What are you talking about?" Spencer asked, noting the horrified look on Greg's face,

"I know the killer."


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: not mine, so please don't sue. Thank you. **

**A/N: So here's the exciting conclusion! Last chapter, with the big confrontation and all. Yippee. This may be my last story awhile. I'm starting up a big project pretty soon. **

Spencer looked over at Greg. "What?"

"I know who the killer is, the guy that we're looking for." Greg looked a bit pale, but his voice was steady.

"And?"

"His name is Jason. He works at a coffee shop near the campus. I stop by there almost every day and see him." Greg swallowed. "He's studying to be a CSI." Greg reached for his jacket.

"Where are you going?" Spencer asked. Surely Greg wasn't stupid enough to go after the killer alone.

Greg looked him in the eye. "I know this kid. I can talk to him." There wasn't much he could at the hospital anyway.

"Wait!" Spencer grabbed his own jacket and hurried after Greg. Digging through his pockets for his phone as he ran, Spencer caught up with Greg in the parking lot.

Greg was searching the lot for Denali when Spencer reached him, forgetting that he left it at the crime scene.

"Greg." Spencer got his attention. "Need a ride?"

Greg smiled at him, "I guess so." Going in without backup could hazardous to your health, anyway. He accepted the keys and climbed into the driver's seat.

Spencer settled into the passenger's side and dialed his cell phone, only pausing long enough for Greg to give him the coffee shop's address. After relaying the information to dispatch, Spencer turned to Greg.

Greg explained, "I'm not sure why, but it was the coffee that triggered the memory."

Spencer shrugged, "Scent is the strongest sense tied to memory." He shifted in has seat as he looked at the speedometer.

Greg laughed, and slowed down a little. It would be very anti-climatic to die in a car wreck on the way to visit a serial killer. "And Warrick says I drive like grandmother."

Spencer didn't know who Warrick was, but he laughed anyway. He just hoped that Jason's only weapon was the knife he'd ditched at the last scene. The familiar weight of his nine-millimeter in holster reminded him that he was ready for almost anything.

As the truck pulled into the parking lot, it occurred to Greg that he was completely unarmed and racing into danger, again, Praying that no one got hurt this time, he stepped out of the car.

His hands were shaking as he pulled the door open. Spencer followed him into the dark coffee shop.

The place was deserted at this hour, except for two figures behind the counter. "What can I get for you, Mr. Sanders?"

Jason stepped out into the light, dragging the other person with him. It was Sam, the manager of the shop. Jason was holding a gleaming knife at her throat.

"Let her go, Jason. She hasn't hurt anybody." Greg pleaded with him. "This isn't her about her."

Spencer just watched. Antagonizing the unsub now would result in disaster. Greg was trying to talk him down, and help would arrive soon. Spencer just hoped that the arrival of more police wouldn't trigger another violent response.

"You don't understand." Jason hollered at them. "She'll hurt me eventually; they all do."

"Is that what the others did, Jason?" Greg asked, trying to get his attention away from the poor hostage.

Jason glared at him. "She hurt me. I loved her and I did everything I could for her." Pause. "She tells all of that the truth is the most important thing, and she lied to me. To everybody."

Greg continued, trying to get the kid to release Sam. "But Sam here hasn't done anything to you. Why not just let her go? It's only you and me now, anyway, trying to work this out." His hurt was pounding so hard for moment Greg thought it might burst of his chest. He forced himself to speak. "Jason?"

The young man was moving out into the open, dragging Sam alongside him. He was hold his throbbing wrist awkwardly against his body. The other hand holding the knife. It was all h needed to keep in control. "How do I know you won't shoot me as soon as I let her go?"

"I don't even have a gun."

While Jason was trying come up with a response, the hostage decided she's had enough standing around. Sam brought the heel of her boot down on Jason's sneaker. He screamed, but before he could recover, grabbed his injured wrist and yanked down hard, forcing him to his knees.

Greg ran forward. He had help Sam before anyone else got hurt. Spencer followed his, brandishing his gun.

Greg pounced on him before Spencer could get a shoot off. Greg grabbed hold of his shoulders and spun him around. He pinned Jason to the floor. Greg sat on him, trying to catch his breath as Spencer led Sam any from the killer, never letting his eyes leave Jason.

A minute later, half a dozen police cars pulled into the lot, sirens blaring. Greg rolled is eyes as Jim Brass and a bunch of uniforms forced their way in. "About time you guys showed up."

Brass shrugged. "Couldn't let you have all the fun." Greg stood up as Jim cuffed Jason and dragged him to his feet. "I'll need to get a statement from you guys later."

Greg watched the officers put him in a squad car. He looked over at Brass. "I thought I knew this kid."

"Nobody really knows anyone." Jim told him. "You gonna tell me what jut went down?"

Greg sighed and told him about the coffee, the knife, and sneakers, and well, everything. Jim listened, and let him talk as Greg lamented that if he had figured this out sooner, Nick wouldn't have been hurt.

When he was sure that Greg was finished talking, Jim told Greg this wasn't his fault, and that if he wanted to go home before McKeen and the flock of reporters that always seemed to follow showed up he'd tell Gil what happened. Greg thanked him and walked off.

He didn't head home, however. Greg caught a ride with one of the uniforms pack to the station. He watched Jason from the observation room when Jim finally made it back.

The veteran detective sat in the chair opposite him, ready to talk. Sanders had watched this and even participated in this ritual more often then he cared to remember.

Now, he watched as Jim began to work his special brand of magic on him, not they even needed the confession. Still, juries liked things neat and tidy, and they liked to know why.

The two them began to exchange verbal blows. Greg listened as Jim worked his way in and had Jason telling him about how Jenny was running off with that bastard, the dean.

Jim nodded, and the killer continued with how that bitch in the dorm room had been cheating, asking him to help her and how her roommate had come home too soon; he hadn't wanted to hurt the CSIs, and certainly not his friend, Greg.

He felt strangely detached from the whole thing; at least until Jason said Greg was one of only friends. That had him feeling nauseous again.

Greg was startled when Catherine tapped him on the shoulder. "What are you still doing here?"

"I don't know." Greg said.

"He's going away for a long time, Greggo." She said. "You did good."

"Yeah." He wished he could feel good about it.

"But seriously, what are you still doing here?" She forced a smile. "Somebody needs to be there when Nicky gets up."

She had a point. Right now, he needed to be there for Nick. He would feel a little better if he knew that his friend was okay, anyhow. "Bye. And thanks." He grabbed his jacket and keys to his own car.

Greg cranked up the radio on the way to hospital, not really wanting to let himself think right now. He arrived a few minutes later. He grinned when he spotted Warrick's car sitting by visitor's entrance.

He went in and was directed to Nick's room. Rick was in chair across the room, and they were both snoring.

Greg fought back a laugh and shook Warrick. "Dude, why don't you go grab a cup of coffee?"

Rick muttered something that sounded like five more minutes, Tina.

Greg shook him again. "Tina? I thought you and Yoko spilt."

"We did." Warrick grumbled. He got up and stretched. "I think I'll go take a walk. See ya in a few."

Leaving Greg alone with Nick. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes. "Is he gone?"

Greg nodded. "Went for coffee."

"Good. How the hell can a guy get some rest with his snoring."

"Don't you know a hospital is a lousy place to rest?"

Nick laughed, "Very true,"

Greg smiled. "How are feeling?"

"Not too bad. Just tired." Nick said.

"We caught the guy." Greg told him. "Got enough evidence to put him away for life."

"In that case, I'm feeling much better."

"From what I just heard, Greg solved the case and got the guy," Warrick announced from the doorway,

Greg turn an interesting shade of red.

"Good job, man." Nick smiled at him. "So, you not only saved my ass today, you catch a dangerous serial killer and solve a high profile case."

"Guess I did."

**A/n: the end. Please tell me what you think, gang. Thank you for reading this story, hope you liked it.**

**-Leftyguitar**


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